Breaking Down Differences Between SOCKS vs HTTP Proxy
What Is a Proxy Server
Proxy servers are a great tool to help you access any websites or page using your browser.
Your identity remains hidden. For instance, if you want to access data from a company abroad, all you have to do is use a proxy server to conduct this action.
If the website only allows users from their country access, the proxy server will hide your location and pretend that you are residing from that particular company’s residence. No one will have a clue that you, sitting in India, are accessing companies’ data from abroad.
You can conduct this action easily when you have the right proxy servers in your hand. The finest two are called HTTPS proxy and SOCKS proxy.
These two are the most common, but their features are different. To help you decide which proxy is best suited for you, we are going to list out the difference using simpler terminology.
You may also like: How to Configure HAProxy as a Proxy and Load Balancer.
What Are HTTPS Proxies?
When you search in your web browser, you have found many links that start with “. ” When you see this, you must understand that the web page is using an HTTP protocol to function.
Http proxies function via a client and server model. For instance, being the client, you will type in the web browser to access some information. Your HTTP protocol will send the request for your access in the form of a URL link. The server on the other end will respond to that link along with the information you requested back to you. The resource you receive will also be in HTTP format.
In HTTP, you can conduct safer actions with the help of multiple proxy servers available in the market today. The HTTP proxy will function just the way it did above but with a proxy server; it will be easier to safeguard your identity.
Having understood what proxies are, let’s move towards the next popular proxy.
What Is a SOCKS Proxy?
Lightproxies states “SOCKS is a type of internet protocol that sends network packets from the server to the client and vice versa via a proxy server. ’’
A SOCKS proxy, which is referred to as Socket Secure, manages information online with the use of a proxy server.
Over here, the SOCKS proxy uses its SOCKS protocol. Unlike proxies, SOCKS proxies are more dependable when compared to.
As you now have a brief understanding of what the above two proxies’ functionality, we can jump to the crucial part of choosing which proxy would be ideal for you.
Difference Between SOCKS and HTTP Proxies
1. Functionality
HTTPS Proxy
SOCKS
Functions using protocol and is vital for those users you use it for the purpose of retrieving information via a web browser
Doesn’t use a proxy and is considered to be a lower level proxy since it is used for general purposes mostly
HTTPS proxies use only HTTP protocol, which means their functionality depends on what they follow. Since they conduct the action of retrieving information via the web browser, they are best suited for users who would use it for the same purpose.
Unlike, SOCKS functions a little differently. It doesn’t function using an HTTP protocol. This doesn’t restrict it from allowing users to view information online. Ideally, SOCKS is used for more general-purposes and is considered to be a lower level proxy.
This, however, isn’t a disadvantage because they are not liable to a particular set of network protocols, thus giving their users the flexibility to utilize this proxy anywhere.
2. Security
High chances of your data being viewed during the process
Low chances of your data being viewed since SOCKS can’t read data
The whole agenda of using a proxy is to remain safe and covered while accessing information online. As mentioned earlier, proxy servers are a great medium to safeguard your online activities.
The best part is that SOCKS proxies utilize it hence ensuring a good security weight when compared to HTTP proxies.
With HTTP proxies, there are chances of your data being viewed and recorded during the client-server proxies taking place. If this happens you remain at high risk. With SOCKS proxy this issue cannot occur since the proxy isn’t able to read the data.
But if you continue to use an HTTP proxy, you can remain safeguarded online by establishing a tunnel connection. The tunnel functions as a wall where it makes your activities online harder to be traced and leaves you more safe and secure to continue functioning.
3. Speed
Offers private and public proxy, depends on the choice ( Public proxy- slow)
Generic server, speed is fast
HTTPs proxies offer you 2 types of proxies to invest in when it comes to speed, Private and Public proxies.
With private proxies, you can single-handedly manage your online activities without any hassle. With public proxies, it is the opposite. Since the users are high, the speed gets affected where the internet will take a long time to even help you access a web page you want to see.
With SOCKS proxy being a general one, it is simple and quicker with its speed. It reduces the need for any code to be applied and hence it is ideal to transfer or download data from online.
Also ensure that apart from these proxies, you also need to search for well-established proxy companies that offer this service because, with the servers they offer, the internet and bandwidth speed can also help you function better for all your online activities.
4. Connecting with Tools
HTTPS proxy
Connects with any tool
Connects to limited tools
Either of these two proxies must be able to connect with the tools that you use.
HTTP proxy servers mostly connect with all tools, but with SOCKS proxy you might not be able to connect too as many devices when compared to HTTPS. Hence, it is essential that you keep track of which tools you utilize the most and then decide which proxy you want to apply.
The best way you can do this is by researching the various proxy servers available in the market.
It has various options to choose from and also has a dedicated section for SOCKS proxy users where you can benefit many of the advantages they offer under it. Also, you can keep track of the tools that are a fit for HTTPS and SOCKS proxy so that you can easily decide which one you can use.
The Bottom Line
As new technology arises, online platforms become much easier to crack. Viewing information and tapping crucial data for the wrong purpose have all urged companies to take strict measures in all their online activities.
With the differences mentioned above, for users who highly depend on downloading and transferring huge amounts of data, SOCKS would be the ideal one for you. For those who want to download a smaller amount of data, you can opt for the HTTPS proxy.
When it comes to choosing your proxy server to ensure that you invest in a brand that keeps three things in mind:
Keeps you anonymous.
Secures your online activities without any hassle or risks.
Has a good internet speed option.
Further Reading
Reverse Proxy: What, When, How.
What is SSL Tunneling?
HTTP connection + HTTP Authenticacion + Proxy + SSL.
Topics:
network analysis,
proxy,,
socks,,
security
Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.
Differences between http proxy vs socks proxy – Limeproxies
The world of proxies can be confusing and technical for you if you are new to it. When making use of a private proxy like limeproxies, you will encounter jargon and technicalities that can be overwhelming. There are different types of proxies and a lot of terminologies, but learning about the differences allows you to have a better understanding of how everything works. In this article, we will dwell on differences between HTTP proxy vs SOCKS proxy.
Once you understand the workings and technicalities of using proxies, you will have access to web content that was previously blocked to your access due to geographical restrictions. Having access to websites that lockout offshore access will no longer be a problem for you. Good knowledge of proxies also help you easily swap between different types of proxy and port numbers so that you can find out which option works best for you in each usage Quick LinksJump straight to the section of the post you want to read:SOCKS PROXIESHTTP PROXYWHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PORTS? DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PROXIES: HTTP PROXY VS SOCKS PROXYA BREAKDOWN OF HTTP PROXY VS SOCKS PROXYSOCKS PROXIES
The web is made up of protocols that make it easy to communicate from both ends (user and the internet). What you call the internet is made up of several protocols that come into play.
SOCKS is an acronym that stands for secure sockets. It is a type of proxy that is used for general needs.
It is a protocol that creates a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) connection with a different server. Once the connection has been made between the client and the server, the exchange of data can begin. SOCKS proxy can be used to gain access to sites that have a firewall, preventing regular internet access. It gives access to a TCP that has been otherwise blocked.
The best feature of using SOCKS is that you can have a connection with TCP without having to reduce the integrity of your firewall. You will remain protected by your firewall even if you bypass it for a few moments of browsing anonymously. Another big side to using SOCKS proxy is that you will not make use of penetrative data. Your SOCKS connection can be used with any type of proxy with any type of connection. It doesn’t matter whether your network is leveraging any type of network protocol.
SOCKS 4 provides you with good enough security for the average internet user. It is the most commonly available proxy of this type and acts as the default connection. If you are not just an average internet user and need more security and safety online, SOCKS 5 is the connection you should make use of. It gives you improved authentication options that allow you to add more layers of security to your proxy. This keeps you anonymous and heavily secures your data.
HTTP PROXY
HTTP is another protocol that is very popular. It functions on a higher level than SOCKS and so is able to better understand the traffic coming over a TCP connection. This is one feature a SOCKS connection cannot properly provide.
With the use of HTTP proxy, requests can be received directly from applications that also use HTTP as their protocol. Being limited in that way may seem like a disadvantage especially if you need security across all your online activity, but the truth is HTTP proxies interface with specific connections in ways that SOCKS never could.
Although HTTP proxies do have some limitations that SOCKS do not have, their ability to properly understand data is an endearing factor. HTTP is more attractive if you need the proxy to scrape a site or run a bot.
For instance, running a scraping software over an HTTP proxy will help you extract what is needed from the website, leaving behind what is not needed. The result is s clean data that is easier to work with. It helps you utilize your time properly as you do not have to waste any second going through useless data to get out the necessary information.
HTTPS PROXY
The HTTPS proxy allows you to have a more secure connection. For the safety of the data you transmit, HTTPS proxies give you the feature of having an unreadable data if intercepted. When connecting to an intranet or your bank from abroad, your best choice would be to do so with an HTTPS proxy.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PORTS? It is good that you pay attention to the port number your proxy uses. A particular proxy may require communication over a certain port number for it to function properly and create a connection.
When you assign a proxy to a specific port number, it communicates through that port. It has access to data that is sent or received through that port number. SOCKS protocols support most proxy ports on a computer, but using HTTPS often requires that you make use of port number 443, and HTTP is often set at 80.
Even though HTTP and HTTPS protocols will provide you with greater access to web applications and can assist software in interpreting data, a SOCKS proxy is useful as a simpler option and works on almost any port number. This makes it easier to set up when there are port restrictions at the network level. Both SOCKS and HTTPS proxies have their place and are useful respectively.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PROXIES: HTTP PROXY VS SOCKS PROXYA SOCKS proxy is a general-purpose proxy. It establishes a TCP connection to another server on behalf of a client and routes all the traffic between the client and the server back and forth. SOCKS works on any kind of network protocol on any port. SOCKS 5 gives additional security.
SOCKS doesn’t interpret network traffic but is used to access connections outside a firewall that limits the client’s access. Most web browsers can be configured to exchange data with a web server through a SOCKS server. To make such connections, the client must first be SOCKS enabled so as to be able to make a connection to the SOCKS server and tell it the host it wants to connect to.
An HTTP proxy is similar to a SOCKS proxy because it can also be used to make TCP connections when the clients are within a firewall. Unlike SOCKS proxies, however, HTTP proxies understand and interpret the network traffic between the client and server (HTTP protocol). HTTP proxy can be used to handle only HTTP traffic and in a smart way. It recognizes repeated requests and caches the replies so as to improve performance. Many ISPs make use of HTTP proxies not minding the browser configuration by simply routing all traffic on port 80 through the proxy server.
A BREAKDOWN OF HTTP PROXY VS SOCKS PROXYWhat is of the utmost importance today in the world of the internet is privacy and anonymity as you use the web. There are major breaches each day that exposes personal details to the wrong individuals. Facebook, Google, Twitter, and other credit bureaus among others have all had their fair share of breaches. Besides these, it is common knowledge that some government and private agencies spy on people’s internet use. To avoid having your details and personal information getting into the wrong hands, the use of a proxy is recommended.
There are a lot of options with which you can stay anonymous while online, but both SOCKS and HTTP proxies offer you great flexibility and reliability than most others. If you are faced with the dilemma of making a choice between SOCKS vs HTTP proxy, having more information on both will help you.
HTTP PROXY VS SOCKS PROXY; WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
There is no competition between HTTP vs SOCKS as the right proxy for you depends largely on what it is you intend to do online.
HTTP/HTTPS proxies offer you a great deal of encryption so you stay safe. You will be able to have 100% protection of the data you send as it goes through the server. Furthermore, you can stay anonymous and hide your online activity from your ISP. So you do not have to worry about your information getting into the wrong hands, it allows you to avoid throttling, and you are protected when downloading large files or using torrents.
A good number of HTTP/HTTPS solutions are available for free. These guides take you step by step to help you up and running and make use of their free proxy options. You already know that there is danger involved with using free proxies because you do not know who is running the service. You could be exposed to viruses or malware, and some servers maintain a user log that keeps a record of your usage.
The use of HTTP will only work if your data is HTTP as well. So you will have a bit of a problem here if you want to transfer information over UDP, POP3, or other non HTTP networks.
SOCKS allows you to connect easily and fast with any network as it supports both TCP and UDP transfer protocols. It also ensures that your data packet headers are not rewritten. So you have no worries about misrouting or mislabeled data packets, improving your proxy stability and avoiding errors that slow down the connection.
SOCKS 5 makes use of no logs whatsoever, so you are completely anonymous and your usage is not monitored. This means that they can be no accidental discovery of whatever you do because there is no record.
The argument of the superior when it comes to SOCKS vs HTTP proxies is dependent on what you need a proxy for. These two are good and offer you good layers of security and anonymity which is basically what you need a proxy for. But if you are considering other uses online, then it is best to make use of the one that best suits your purpose. By now you should have good knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of each protocol. Make use of the knowledge to your advantage to get the best out of your the authorRachael ChapmanA Complete Gamer and a Tech Geek. Brings out all her thoughts and Love in Writing Techie to get started? Try it free for 3 days
**SOCKS PROXY**
**HTTP PROXY**
SOCKS proxy works on any network protocol and on any port
Chances of your data being viewed is low since SOCKS doesn’t read data
There is a chance that your data can be viewed since your activity is stored in a log
It is a general server and the speed is fast
It could be fast or slow, depending on your choice of either a private or public proxy
Connects to fewer tools than HTTP proxy
Connects easily with a wide range of tools
It is considered a lower level proxy because of its use as a general purpose proxy
Vital for information retrieval from the web
What are the benefits of SOCKS5 proxy? | NordVPN
ContentsWhat is SOCKS5 proxy? SOCKS5 proxy servers benefits1. Gets you around internet blocks2. Faster and more reliable connection3. Fewer errors and improved overall performance4. Better performance on P2P platformsSOCKS5 vs HTTP proxyShould you use SOCKS5 with a VPN? Should you use a free proxy? What is SOCKS5 proxy? SOCKS5 is the latest and most up-to-date SOCKS protocol. It is an improved version of SOCKS, an internet protocol that routes packets between a server and a client using a proxy server. SOCKS5 has enhanced security and offers three types of authentication methods: Null authentication – No authentication required to connect to a proxy;Username/password authentication – You need to provide login details to connect to a proxy;GSS-API authentication – Both you and the server use authentication methods at the operating system level to verify your does it work? Your traffic is routed through a proxy server that generates an arbitrary IP address before you reach your destination. Technically speaking, SOCKS5 (the latest version) uses proxy servers to form User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections through arbitrary IP your IP is 1. 1. 1 and your traffic is routed through a SOCKS Proxy with the IP 2. 2. 2, the destination server (the website) will think that the request came from the latter. The website cannot see your original IP address. This helps you hide your location, but it doesn’t mean that your traffic is secure. Contrary to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), proxies do not encrypt your traffic – it’s still out in the open and anyone can snoop on what you are is no such thing as an 100% anonymous SOCKS5 proxy server, because it’s impossible to be truly anonymous online. You can get close to it by being aware of what you do online, what services and security tools you use and how it all impacts your privacy. But no single proxy, VPN, or encrypted messaging app will make you ’s little chance you’ll be able to use streaming services that are not available in your country by connecting through a proxy. However, if you only want to change your virtual location and bypass simple geo-blocks, you can find a SOCKS5 proxy list online and try your luck. Check our brief video about SOCKS5 a SOCKS5 proxy better than a VPN? SOCKS5 is not as secure or as fast as a VPN. It’s easy to confuse a SOCKS5 proxy with a VPN, but there are curcial differences. Like most proxies, SOCKS5 won’t encrypt your data, and will lower internet speed and reover, SOCKS is quite detectable, so it most likely won’t get you around national firewalls. Due to this fact you need to enhance its security with a VPN. A good VPN, on the other hand, will encrypt your data as it travels from your device to the VPN server, ensuring that nobody can view it at any point on its journey. With a service like NordVPN, you can still get around internet restrictions and protect your IP address, but you’ll do so with genuine privacy and lightning fast internet speeds. Upgrade your privacy with high-quality VPN CKS5 proxy servers benefitsHere are 4 strong reasons to use SOCKS proxies:1. Gets you around internet blocksSince proxy servers act as relays between your device and the internet, they can easily help you bypass internet blocks. For example, if your IP was blacklisted by a certain website (or you use a VPN and its servers IPs were blacklisted) you can route your traffic through a SOCKS5 proxy and so bypass this block. However, it won’t help you to circumvent national firewalls in the way that a VPN will, as most of them use deep packet inspection (DPI). This means that your traffic is blocked by your ISP and before it reaches the website. Faster and more reliable connectionUnlike its predecessors, which only used TCP protocol, SOCKS5 proxy servers can use UDP protocol, ensuring a reliable connection and efficient TCP internet protocol forms a connection between a client and a server, making sure that all the packets arrive from one side to the other. It requires fitting the content into a fixed format so that it can be transferred easily. UDP, on the other hand, doesn’t focus on whether all packets from the client or server reach the other side and whether they are transferred in the same order. UDP doesn’t waste time converting data packets into a stream of fixed packets. Therefore, with these UDP at hand, SOCKS5 can offer faster speeds and a reliable connection. 3. Fewer errors and improved overall performanceMany other proxies rewrite data packet headers. Because of this, there’s a high chance of misrouting or mislabelling that data. SOCKS5 proxy servers do not rewrite data packet headers, so there is a lower chance for errors. Since there are far fewer errors, the performance automatically improves. However, this comes at a cost of your privacy and security as packet headers contain your personal information and can be easily identified. 4. Better performance on P2P platformsSOCKS5 is faster than other proxies because it transfers smaller data packets. Therefore, it offers faster download speeds, which is why many users use it to connect to P2P sharing websites and CKS5 vs HTTP proxyUnlike HTTP proxies, which can only interpret and work with HTTP and HTTPS webpages, SOCKS5 proxies can work with any proxies are high-level proxies usually designed for a specific protocol. While this means you get better connection speeds, they’re not nearly as flexible and secure as SOCKS proxies. SOCKS proxies are low-level proxies that can handle any program or protocol and any traffic without you use SOCKS5 with a VPN? The main difference between proxies and VPNs is that VPNs encrypt your traffic and proxies don’t. VPNs provide more stable connections while proxy connections drop more are few reasons to use both together, so your best bet is to choose the right tool for the job. Fortunately, NordVPN’s servers also support SOCKS5 connections. For full instructions on how to use SOCKS5 proxy on different platforms, visit our tutorial page. Should you use a free proxy? Because of their low overhead, proxy services aren’t expensive to run, but they still come with costs. Therefore, free proxies, like free VPNs, should be avoided. Here’s why:Poor performance. Free proxies will have less support personnel and may have less configuration options or slower infrastructure. All of this can make them slower and less secure. They might also reduce their speeds or turn off features in an effort to make you a paying ivacy issues. If you’re not paying for the service, you aren’t the customer. Free proxies can monitor user traffic and sell that data to third parties or serve ads. This means replacing ads on websites you love (thereby cutting into their revenue) or introducing new ads that weren’t there best bet is a premium proxy service, which will offer the best speeds, support, and security. Fortunately, when you buy NordVPN, you can also use some of our servers as SOCKS5 proxies. With all of our other features, you can easily switch between maximum security, maximum speed, or the best of both secure and flexible service offers tons of options, including SOCKS5. Try it with our risk-free money-back guarantee for 30 days!
Emily Green
Verified author
Emily Green is a content writer who loves to investigate the latest internet privacy and security news. She thrives on looking for solutions to problems and sharing her knowledge with NordVPN readers and customers.
Frequently Asked Questions about sock http
What is difference between HTTP and SOCKS?
A SOCKS proxy is a general-purpose proxy. … An HTTP proxy is similar to a SOCKS proxy because it can also be used to make TCP connections when the clients are within a firewall. Unlike SOCKS proxies, however, HTTP proxies understand and interpret the network traffic between the client and server (HTTP protocol).Jan 20, 2020
What is SOCKS5 vs HTTP proxy?
Unlike HTTP proxies, which can only interpret and work with HTTP and HTTPS webpages, SOCKS5 proxies can work with any traffic. HTTP proxies are high-level proxies usually designed for a specific protocol. … SOCKS proxies are low-level proxies that can handle any program or protocol and any traffic without limitations.
What are SOCKS in scamming?
SOCKS is an Internet protocol that exchanges network packets between a client and server through a proxy server. SOCKS5 optionally provides authentication so only authorized users may access a server.